rakshakasarvasiddhantevedantetichadiyate.
This sloka tells the greatness of Sri Mahalakshmi. The Lord protects us always along with His Consort Sri MahaLakshmi. Here, in Thirukkoodalur, the Lord is Sri Jagat Rakshaka Perumal. Rakshaka means protection and so the Lord here does rakshaka with His Consort. What is Her role in this protection? To protect anyone, the Lord should have mercy and compassion? Though these qualities are in the Lord, He is angry with us for the infinite sins we have committed in infinite births. Unless this anger is reduced or removed we will not be able to benefit from His other noble qualities such as compassion, affection, etc. Here, the role of Sri MahaLakshmi comes and She skims His anger on us and His other qualities favourable to us are revealed. Now, He is able to forgive us and takes us by His side. This has become possible only because of Sri MahaLakshmi acting as our Mother. Today's [22nd February 2008] lecture is at the sannidhi of Sri Padmasani Thayar [Moolavar] and Sri Pushpavalli Thayar [Utsavar]. She is seated on lotus carrying lotus, wearing lotus garland and with lotus like eyes She graces as the most intimate to the Lord. She allays our fears, and assures His mercy by Her recommendation. She never parts with Him, even for a second. She remains on the Lord's chest as Srivatsam. Praying for Her blessings we will move on to the sloka 42. Sri Krishna's reply is in sloka 40 and sloka 41. In sloka 40, He promised that if with the kalyana [auspicious] intention of following the Lord's words, one started yoga, one would never go to hell. In slokas 41 and 42 He describes the yogi, gets the inferior pleasures as desired by him and also is reborn to continue yoga. In sloka 41, He talked of a person who has sincerely tried to practice yoga and discontinued even before he has sufficient experience in yoga. In that initial stage itself he aspires for some inferior pleasures like heaven, he gets such happiness for a long time till he is satisfied. Then, he is made to be born in a family where the surroundings are conducive to simulate him again in yoga and he continues from where he had discontinued in his previous birth. Now, in the sloka 42, Sri Krishna talks of another person who has also started yoga and has considerable experience, almost maturing to get atman sakshatkaram. If this person also slips from yoga, what is his fate is described in Sloka 42:
atha va yoginam eva
kule bhavati dhimatam
etad dhi durlabhataram
loke janma yad idrsam
"Or [if unsuccessful after long practice of yoga] he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Certainly, such a birth is rare in this world."
This type of rebirth is very rare and not much known in the world, Sri Krishna tells. This type of birth He arranges for this person. Athava = otherwise, [ this person is different from the one mentioned in sloka 41]. So here He talks of a person who has slipped from yoga after considerable experience in it. Yoginam eva dhimatam = with full experience in yoga and capable of preaching others to successfully practice, kule bhavati = such a person's family he is reborn. [in some texts instead of the word bhavati, mahati si found. In that case we have to draw the meaning as he is reborn in great families with experience in yoga]. This person had discontinued yoga at a ripe stage, and so when he is reborn, the Lord helps him to be born in such a family, which has sufficient experience in yoga, so that it becomes easier to start the yoga from where he had discontinued in the last birth, and complete to have atman sakshatkaram. Yad idrsam janma= such a rebirth, loke = in this world , etad dhi durlabhataram = is not a very rare occurance? The rebirths mentioned in slokas 41 and 42 are very rare to be seen in this world. Because to be born in such families one should have accumulated so much of punya or effect of good deeds in the previous births. It is like for example, a man after a great struggle has built an industrial empire of multi billion dollars. A son born to him, becomes instantly billionaire and is the propreitor of the industry. This is mere materialistic wealth. Swami Alavandar says that he does not aspire to be born as Brahma or Indra, but wants to be born as an insect or worm in the house of a family who serve the Lord. So, we should be born in a family where devotion [bhakti] is predominant. Swami Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar in his Acharya Hrudayam says, it is not important if one is born in upper society, but where one's bhakti would flourish is important. It is said that even being a mud wall in Gokulam is sufficient to have devotion to the Lord, as Gokulam was fortunate to have been pressed by His feet. We may be born as anything, but we should pray for developing bhakti in that birth. Here, this person had practiced yoga considerably and so when he slipped, he enjoyed in another loka and was reborn. While being reborn, he is destined to be born in a family ahere the yoga practicing is to such an advanced stage as to teach others. Such rebirths are very rare. So slippage in yoga does not become a great disadvantage. We have to thus remember that as long as we obey His words, the Lord would take full responsibility to ensure that we get all advantages and gain atman sakshatkaram.
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